Connecting tools



p 1970 I w. 'H. BUMGARDNER 3,530,562

commune TOOLS Filed April 7. 19s? INVENTOR. WILL/AM H. Bl/MGARfl/v/EE, DECEASED BY I ,4 TTOQA/EKS.

United States Patent ()1 ice 3,530,562 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 3,530,562 CONNECTING TOOLS William H. Baumgardner, deceased, late of Lincoln, Nebr., by Lillie O. Baumgardner, legal representative, 11600 W Dodge Road, Lot E15, Omaha, Nebr. 68154 Filed Apr. 7, 1967, Ser. No. 629,333 Int. Cl. Hk 13/00 U.S. Cl. 29-203 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tool for engaging, positioning and drawing together two parallel wires for applying an electrical connector, the tool consisting of a main body having a hook for engaging the first wire and a block slidable within the main body having a second hook positioned in relation to the first to engage the second wire, a rod threaded through the block and having only rotational movement within the main body for positioning the second wire with relation to the first. The tool preferably has a connector holding clamp on the side thereof and the rod preferably has a ring on the exposed end so the tool may be manipulated by a hot stick.

This invention relates to electricians tools and has particular relation to splicing tools for connecting wires one to another when they are electrically energized.

In electrical transmission line work, it is frequently desirable to connect one wire of a transmission line to another while the line or lines are hot or electrically energized or charged. For instance, it may be desired to connect a home service to the main or hot line without interrupting the flow of current to the other electricity users on the hot line.

Since the lines are hot or electrically charged, it is of course impossible to do the work without insulated tools, and it is the usual practice to employ hot sticks which are long insulated handles of wood or the like, having the line-engaging tools on the end of the sticks so that the operator may operate the tools from several feet away and thus keep clear of the energized lines.

The difliculty lies in manipulating the actual operative tools at a distance and various electrical conducting connectors are employed, one of which is called a squeeze-on, and this connector is a metallic member having two grooves on opposite sides so dimensioned that the grooves will receive the two wires that are to be connected and preferably the grooves should be so chosen that it is necessary to force the wires into the grooves after which the lips of the grooves are swaged or otherwise crimped or forced to close or at least partially close the grooves so as to hold the wires tightly in connection and furnish good electrical contact and conduction of electric current.

This operation is very difficult. The wires are stiff and difficult of manipulation with the long hot sticks and the operation is dangerous if not properly done.

It is therefore one of the main objects of the invention to provide means for holding a squeeze-on in proper position for connecting two lines or wires for drawing the wires together and then into the grooves of the squeeze-on and holding them in position so that a swaging tool may be employed to close the grooves about the wires while holding them in position in the grooves.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of the above character which is positive and safe, relatively inexpensive and easy and fast to manipulate and operate.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be more apparent to those skilled in the art upon a consideration of the accompanying drawings and follow- 1ng specifications, wherein is disclosed a single exemplary embodiment of the invention, with the understanding, however, that such changes may be made therein as fall within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a splicing and holding tool constructed according to one embodiment of the invention. The jaws of the swaging tool are indicated in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective of a squeeze-on.

FIG. 3 is a view in perspective of the squeeze-on holding portion of the splicing and positioning tool.

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the movable positioning member of the holder.

FIG. 5 is a view in top elevation of the tool as it appears with the squeeze-on in place after the lines have been drawn into place.

Referring now to the drawings.

A main body member 10 is employed which is of roughly approximate cylindrical shape and has one rounded member 11 for engaging one of the wires 15 in which splicing is to be accomplished. The upper face 12 of the tool is flattened and the body is provided with an approximately cylindrical bore therethrough, indicated at 13, to receive a slidable movable member or block 14 having a hook 16 to receive the other wire 20. The movable positioning member 14 has a bore therethrough as at 17 which is threaded to receive the threads of a shaft or threaded rod 18. The shaft 18 terminates in a ring 19 which may be engaged by the hook of a hot stick.

One form of squeeze-on is shown in FIG. 2 at 31 and is a body elliptical in cross section having grooves 29 and 30 therein. The squeeze-on is made of malleable electrically conducting material.

The body 10 is provided with lugs 21 and 22 on both sides thereof. One lug 21 has a screw at 23 to engage the face of a washer-like flange 25 on 18, and thus the lug serves to hold the shaft or screw 18 in position as the ring 19 is rotated to thus move the movable member 14 and hook 16 in and out as desired.

The main body of the tool 11 is provided with a transverse opening in which a pivot pin or shaft 26 may be received, and this shaft projects beyond the far side of the positioning tool to a point such that the shaft 26 may act as a pivot for the two members 27 and 28 of a clamping device. This clamping device rocks about the shaft 26 and is held in springed tension by means of the spring 29 so that it exerts enough pressure on the squeezeon at 31 to hold a portion of the squeeze-on in place but with the greater portion of the squeeze-0n extending beyond the clamps 27 and 28 so that a swaging or forming tool, indicated by dotted lines at 32, may be employed to force the lips of the squeeze-on groves about the wires 15 and 20 to form a permanent connection or splice between the wires.

In operation a squeeze-on, such as 31 having grooves 33 and 34, is placed with one groove 33 over the lead-in wire 15, and the squeeze-on with wire 15 in place is placed between the jaws 27 and 28 of the clamping means. The tool is then placed on the hook of an insulating hot stick with the forward portion of the clamping means slightly tilted upward with respect to the body 10'. The tool is then pushed against the wire 20 to cause the wire to be received between the jaws 27 and 28 of the clamping device. The main body of the tool is rotated suificiently to cause the hook 14 of the tool to engage the hot wire 20. The ring 19 may then be rotated by the hot 3 stick to close jaw 16 to cause the wire 20 to be squeezed firmly into groove 34 of the squeeze-on.

The wire 15 is forced by the squeezing action against the groove 30 of jaw 11, and thus the wires 15 and 20 are held firmly in place in the grooves of the squeeze-on.

When the wires are firmly located in the grooves of the squeeze-on, a swaging tool 32 is employed to turn the lips of the squeeze-on over the wires to effectively lock them in place. The connecting tool is then removed by counter-rotation of the ring 19 and of course the tool may then be removed and the swaging operation completed with the swaging tool 32.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been described, it is apparent that modifications thereof may be made by those skilled in the art. Such modifications may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A tool for engaging, positioning and drawing together two parallel wires for applying an electrical joining connector including a body having a hook on one side thereof to be pressed against and engaged against one of the wires, a threaded rod extending through the body, a slidable block having a second hook thereon placed in opposed relation to the first hook to engage 2 the second wire, with the block threaded on the rod,

the rod having means to permit the rod to turn without advancing to thus draw together the wires and permit them to spring apart as desired.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which a ring is located on the rod on the opposite end from the hook to permit manipulation of the tool by an insulated stick.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which a spring clamp is located on the side of the tool to hold a wire connector in place in relation to the tool during the connecting operation.

4. A device as set forth in claim 1 in which a connector holding clamp is pivotally engaged to one side of the tool body in position so that a swaging tool may be engaged on the clamp and adjacent thereto to engage the connector to the two wires.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,829,549 4/ 1958 Demler. 3,094,774 6/ 1963 Nazarow et al. 3,098,289 7/ 1963 Demler. 3,143,790 8/1964 Over et al. 3,205,567 9/1965 Irvine et al. 3,325,885 6/1967 Ziegler et al.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Primary Examiner 

